Forum Help

If you want to ask about changing your username, have login problems, have password problems or a technical issue please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com

Posting help:

If you want to ask why a word can't be typed, your signature's been changed, or a post has been deleted see the Forum Rules. If you don't find the answer you can ask forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com though due to volumes we can't guarantee replies.

Login to MSE Forum

Join the MSE Forum

Skimlinks adds tracking to some, primarily retailers' links, to show they come from this forum. For some retailers, instead of using Skimlinks to turn the link into a tracked link, we use affiliated links set up through other third parties. Then if it generates revenue from that, this site is paid. The links don't change the content, or what you see or track individual data ? but they do help fund this free forum. So we hope you choose to switch it on. See the full Skimlinks factsheet for more.

Our insurance was £350 per year for all 4 flats. It's a 1920's conversion.

Three 1 bedroom flats roughly 400 sq ft and the other 470 sq ft with a garden of 150 sq ft. When sold 2 years ago all the flats separately they achieved £440000. It was basically bought by a property developer and auction and they gave it a quick spruce up and chucked all the flats on the market.

Our new freeholder have revalued it at £750000(ridiculous)although I suppose this could be the rebuild cost.

* challenge the freeholder and ask him to provide 3 different quotes
* obtain your own quotes and then challenge the freeholder (assuming they are cheaper!), or
* start the Right To Manage process and take over the insurance and other management jobs yoursel.

BH postcodes are (very)prone to subsidence? This covers the whole of bournemouth?

I live in the middle of town. Can't see much subsidence next to the local Tesco's..

Why would it be unusual for no claims in a victorian conversion? I have been here two years and no issue but that doesn't mean you are not right but judging on my previous yearly payment of £350 per annum I doubt we have any major issues including subsidence!

Great to find this post, it has given me a glimmer of hope! I am in exactly the same situation, I live in a converted terraced house with 2 flats (a 1 bed and a 2 bed) just outside of Croydon, nothing huge or out of the norm.

Every year, we have an increasing buildings insurance bill to extortionate amounts, we have complained, paid under protest, got our 3 other quotes from independent insurance co's, requested the same from them - but they will not budge on either changing their insurers or allowing us to manage the Buildings Insurance ourselves. We are dealing with a Management Co, which is Hampton Wick Estates (Used to be Empress Management - same Co but changed the name) in SW19. The insurance company is the same one they have used for the last at least 25 years and they simply say that as they insure as a block portfolio, there is nothing they can do.

About 10 years ago, they asked us if we wanted to purchase the freehold, we said yes, got our money together and then they refused to sell it to us - I've got a feeling that was because the properties would soon be approaching 80years lease. They refused to answer our solicitor and eventually she just gave up, eventually they said that the Freeholder has decided they didn't want to sell.

At the time, I contacted numerous people and Leasehold Valuation etc but was completely given the run around and nobody would help unless we paid out £000's without any guarantees, unfortunately I had been unwell and unable to coninue the fight, so we have been stuck with it since. I am hoping that things have changed in that time so that we can challenge this and stop being ripped off.

Our Ground Rent is £50 each property per year and we have just had our bill in for £726 for EACH FLAT for Buildings Insurance (not even contents too)!! If anyone could offer any help I would be extremely grateful, my 85yr old neighbour is getting SO stressed (so am I), it's just not right!

How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

We don't AS a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally-binding MSE Editorial Code.